In 1967, Paruyr Hayrikyan became a member of Armenia's underground National United Party (NUP) and risen to head of the NUP in 1968. In 1987, Paruyr Hayrikyan became leader and founder of the Union for National Self-Determination (UNSD) political party.

In Soviet times, Hayrikyan was placed several times in penal labor camps for his political views and activities. He was eventually stripped of Soviet citizenship and exiled to Ethiopia after his accusations that the Soviet leadership instigated the Sumgait pogroms of Armenian population in Azerbaijan. In Addis Ababa Hayrikyan applied for and was granted asylum by the United States, where he remained for some time. In 1990, following pressure of a group of United States senators led by Bob Dole, Mikhail Gorbachev restored Hayrikyan's citizenship and allowed him to return. Since then Hayrikyan has taken an active part in Armenian political life.[1]

The National United Party (NUP) was founded in 1966 on April 24. NUP's three founders were Haykaz Khachatryan, Stephan Zatikyan and Shahen Harutyunyan. When the founders of the party were imprisoned in 1968, Hayrikyan becomes head of the National United Party (NUP). The main goals of (NUP) were independence of Soviet Armenia and Soviet Russia and the elimination of the consequences of the Armenian Genocide (1915-1923). In 1973, the National United Party re-elected Hayrikyan as its president. In the same year, Hayrikyan wrote his seminal political pamphlet "The Road to Independence through Referendum Strategy."

Union for National Self-Determination (UNSD) party was established by Paruyr Hayrikyan in September 1987. Union for National Self-Determination (UNSD) was the first openly operating democratic organization within the territory of the USSR. UNSD published the "Independence" weekly newspaper starting from October 24th of 1987. The "Independence" weekly newspaper was the first alternative political periodical in the Soviet Union.